The grudge eats away at him, boiling to a searing, permeating hatred that dictates all of his everyday actions.

This anger is held against his rival and more successful playwright. You may know his name.

Shakespeare.

But this Shakespeare is not the same writer you've seen in textbooks. This Shakespeare wears chain mail and has drummed up a loyal following of groupies who shriek as though they've just spotted a Jonas brother.

The rivalry between Shakespeare and Nick Bottom is at the center of "Something Rotten," a hit musical comedy coming to the Clemens Center on March 18 and 19.

"The biggest thing I deal with with being Nick Bottom is managing his stress," said Matthew Janisse, who is currently leading the touring cast as Nick Bottom. "And making sure it doesn't come into my body as the actor too much so that I can be free enough to sing and move for eight shows a week while traveling on a bus."

The musical is set during the Renaissance, a time when "while witches are burning and wars tend to start, we bring you moments of culture and art."

"Something Rotten" follows Nick Bottom and his brother, Nigel Bottom, as they attempt to write the next great play and beat out Shakespeare. In the process, they work with a soothsayer to help discover the next big hit. And that hit is a yet-to-be-discovered art form, called the "musical."

"Something Rotten" opened on Broadway in April of 2015 and closed in January of 2017. It received nine 2015 Tony Award nominations and one win, with actor Christian Borle nabbing the prize for featured role in a musical for his portrayal of Shakespeare.

Janisse has been with the tour since it kicked off in September in Columbus, Georgia, and will remain with it until it wraps on May 19.

When describing Nick's anger toward Shakespeare, Janisse paints him as a "foaming dog" who spits and sweats while venting about their feud.

While "Something Rotten" is a contemporary musical, it resembles the classic standards reminiscent of the Golden Age of musical theater.

"It feels like an old standard musical theater piece with a modern comedic sensibility," Janisse said. "You have really smart lyrics, brilliantly written dialogue, but you also have big, showstopping dance breaks and tap numbers."

"Something Rotten" writers Karey Kirkpatrick, John O'Farrell and Wayne Kirkpatrick joined the tour during the rehearsal process and helped tweak certain aspects of the musical. Some lines, pacing and songs have been reworked from the Broadway production to the tour.

"Even if you saw it on Broadway, there's a couple of changes in the show, which is interesting to see," Janisse said.

But, what hasn't changed is the heart of the story: a relationship between two brothers.

Modeled after the relationship between the two of the musical's creators (Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick), "Something Rotten" puts brotherly love at the forefront, ahead of even the searing feud with Shakespeare.

"It's very real. They rely on each other and have fights like a real relationship," Janisse said. "And it's sort of like it's the love story of the show. There is another true love story, but this is like brotherly love, which is also important to showcase."